"Hm?"

It took Li Ximing a moment before the name Wan Huaqian came back to him. Frowning, he said, "The Wan Family's ancestor? That formation genius, Wan Huaqian?"

The Wan Family had once been close to the Li Family; they had even been the first family the Li Family had come into contact with. Naturally, Li Ximing had heard of them.

Liu Changdie hesitated, then nodded. He sat down quietly, his expression darkening as he said, "No wonder... no wonder..."

He murmured, "The master of the inheritance obtained by Wan Huaqian must be connected to the master of this residence! The [White Feather Purple Flags] are his natal artifact. There is no way they would resemble the formations here without reason... It seems he once received that inheritance..."

Liu Changdie's gaze grew solemn as countless thoughts flashed through his mind. Suddenly, he said, "Ximing, are you familiar with the Mifann Dao lineage?"

As expected!

Li Ximing understood inwardly and replied, "Of course. It is one of the Mi’s[1] of Douxuan!"

That answer told Liu Changdie that he understood quite a bit already. He let out a sigh, "Exactly... the formations here bear a strong Douxuan style, and the orb beneath resembles the [Water Wall Pearl] obtained from the Mifann Sect. It is clear they share the same origin..."

Liu Changdie calculated on his fingers, the smile on his face turning stiff as he muttered, "Wan Huaqian fell over three hundred years ago. Counting the time, it seems very close to when Chi Wei and Li Encheng went to the Mifann Sect..."

Li Ximing was momentarily stunned. "Ah?"

Although he was born in Jiangnan, places like Moongaze Lake were somewhat isolated compared to Lixia and Simin Prefectures, and he had heard far fewer rumors.

Still, he understood the implication and said quietly, "Senior, do you mean... the root of it all may lie with Wan Huaqian?"

Liu Changdie let out a cold laugh, as though certain rumors he had heard before were now confirmed, and replied, "To put it nicely, some great opportunity appeared, allowing Wan Huaqian to obtain the Mifann inheritance, while the Azure Pond Sect just happened to gain clues about it as well... But to put it less kindly, who knows how Chi Wei and Li Encheng actually entered the Mifann secret realm?

"Wan Huaqian was a genius of his generation. He created several formations, and even great figures from the Azure Pond Sect came to see them, praising him as a prodigy. His reputation was thus established, and everyone came to know his name. But would those influential figures from Azure Pond Sect have reported anything upon returning? Yet he suddenly fell during the Foundation Establishment Realm... and not long after, Chi Wei and Li Encheng entered the Mifann secret realm... Heh!"

Li Ximing frowned inwardly as he listened, while Liu Changdie's eyes gradually cleared. "I had always heard that the [White Feather Purple Flags] had fallen into Li Encheng's hands. Later, when your esteemed family discovered there was still another copy, it raised doubts. Thinking about it now... Li Encheng must have obtained part of the Mifann dharma artifacts, which led rogue cultivators to mistake the formation flags of the same origin in his possession for the [White Feather Purple Flags]. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"These people operate the same as ever... They use someone up, then keep the Wan Family around to see if there are any hidden contingencies, letting things lie for a hundred years or so... Only when Chi Wei was nearing death did they stop caring and casually eliminate any potential threat..."

Liu Changdie clearly harbored deep resentment toward the great figures of Jiangnan and Jiangbei, interpreting everything in a dark light. Li Ximing, on the other hand, was more tempered. Though the analysis was not entirely objective, much of it made sense.

He could only sigh. "If Wan Huaqian had kept a lower profile back then and not revealed his inheritance, he might have carved out his own path."

Liu Changdie merely waved his hand and kept his gaze fixed on the spirit artifact at the base of the formation as he replied, "There's a fine item down there. I can take it out, but the [Feather Transformation Pool] would be ruined in the process."

The [Feather Transformation Pool] was something of critical importance at the current moment, and Li Ximing was naturally reluctant to part with it.

After thinking for a while, he asked, "If one day... I wished to extract the spirit artifact within for use, could I replace it with a Mansion Water spirit item? Even if the [Feather Transformation Pool] disperses, could the formation still be preserved and prevented from collapsing?"

Liu Changdie stared at the formation for a long while before answering, "For now, it would be difficult. But if I spend a few decades fully understanding this formation, I may be able to make some adjustments. By then, there might be more refined methods."

"Good!" Li Ximing nodded in delight and said, "I will bring the [White Feather Purple Flags] from the family for your reference, senior!"

————

Azure Pond Peak was shrouded in clouds and mist. Pristine Water drifted through the air, and the faint sound of spring water trickling could be heard. The sect master's hall stood empty. Only after crossing most of the courtyard could one see a lone figure seated before the steps.

The middle-aged man had narrow eyes and a long face, bearing the look of a sect disciple. Yet at this moment, his brows were furrowed and his eyes filled with unease. He sat alone before the steps, utterly at a loss.

He was none other than the current sect master of Azure Pond Sect, Lin Wuning.

Lin Wuning had never possessed much capability beyond cultivation. In ordinary times, he relied on the Ning Family and Li Yuanqin for support in maintaining stability. But since Ning Wan entered seclusion, the Ning Family had grown scattered and unsettled, and with Li Yuanqin also in seclusion to break through, Lin Wuning had not known a single day of peace.

He should have forced Li Yuanqin to stay, but Li Yuanqin's innate ability was not lacking, and he had served diligently for years without ever shirking his responsibilities. The breakthrough he had planned had already been postponed year after year. Now, at this critical juncture, it could no longer be delayed, and Lin Wuning had no choice but to let him go into seclusion.

Once Li Yuanqin left, the Ning Family became like headless flies. Tasks that Li Yuanqin could once handle swiftly with a few moves now fell into Lin Wuning's hands, leaving him completely at a loss.

Now, as he unrolled the scroll in his hand, he read Qin Xian's report, requesting a transfer to the Eastern Sea.

Qin Xian was from the Si Family. With Li Yuanqin absent, Lin Wuning found the matter deeply troublesome. No matter how he thought about it, he could not decide how to respond. Just then, he heard a series of footsteps outside the hall and quickly looked up, only to see Qin Xian hurrying in from the mountain path with a grave expression, not even offering a greeting.

"You!"

Lin Wuning shot to his feet in alarm, only to catch a flicker of disdain in Qin Xian's eyes. The man then stepped aside slightly, adopting the posture of someone guiding and welcoming another.

The surge of anger that had just risen in Lin Wuning's chest was abruptly cut off by that gesture, replaced with sudden unease.

What is this? Which Daoist Master has arrived?

He had no time to react before freezing on the spot.

A man in green robes was walking up the mountain path with light and unhurried steps. He appeared middle-aged, with a square face and a long nose. A long sword was strapped to his back, and a scroll hung at his waist. He looked at Lin Wuning with a faint smile.

The lingering radiance of his divine ability had yet to fully recede around him, stirring the trees atop the mountain as though he stood beneath a forest of a hundred woods. Faint mulberry leaves seemed to drift down, brushing past his sleeves.

He merely stood there, yet it felt as though all eyes were naturally drawn to him, as if he were seated upon a place of honor. His divine ability was steady and orthodox, like that of a high cultivator from an immortal sect.

Lin Wuning felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His mind went blank for a moment, and he finally understood why Qin Xian had looked so smug. Yet his legs would not obey him.

With a thud, he collapsed to his knees, trembling as he cried out, "Greetings... Daoist Master!"

1. Referring to Mifan, Mifann, Milin and one more(spoiler). ☜